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Can't wait to see more pictures in different colors out in the wild. The new prototypes will already have the recent changes built in and maybe we can finally get a glimpse at a more finalized interior!

I think someone posted that Tesla Motors can build as many as 1,000 vehicles while they are in development.
Those would be assigned special VIN #s that could be specific to pre-production, development vehicles. They would still be street legal, could be registered with Manufacturers license plates, insured and bonded, and operated for a variety of purposes. And here in the US, none of them would count against the 200,000 unit counter for the Federal Tax Credit. I believe they will be used for all sorts of validation testing, but some will certainly go to Tesla Stores for test drives at some point.

With the Model S Beta prototypes they took them out on tour. They were display only and 90% complete. They originally had five and showed three off to the public. Two were for fine tuning the interior, one for giving rides (You are not going to get to drive). Remember this was at a time when they only had a few hundred employees.

Well, I believe that 'at some point' will be when Tesla Motors is legally allowed to have Tesla Store locations in every State in the US. I'm sure they would prefer to do a wide distribution of demo/loaner cars if they could... Instead of just regional tours of a handful of cars.

It makes a compelling case for seeing some M3's roll off the line in late summer or early fall of next year. If these are the "beta prototypes" the article mentions then next would be the release candidates. If those have to wait for production line expansion anyway it'll be few months at least, before we see those. Then, less than a year later, production would start!!

Manufactured by Tesla, the finest 300 cars the world has ever known. There's no room for softness, not at Tesla. No place for weakness. Only the hard and strong Tesla Model 3. Only the hard. Only the strong.

It makes a compelling case for seeing some M3's roll off the line in late summer or early fall of next year. If these are the "beta prototypes" the article mentions then next would be the release candidates. If those have to wait for production line expansion anyway it'll be few months at least, before we see those. Then, less than a year later, production would start!!

Any timeline of when we could actually see these cars based on previous releases?

I can't envision Elon spoiling the surprise of the interior or final design before his Reveal #2.

Click to expand...

A lot of the detail that we hope to get in the second reveal is probably determined from the testing and prototyping they'll do with these parts. So there is every chance there will working cars well before the second reveal. Since these are essentially made by hand I'd guess it would be at least a month or so before there are working/running cars. They may not even build an entire car right away with these parts, they'll use a lot of them for proof of concept and testing.

Meta

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